AdaMarie Expert Ivy Walker: Taking Charge of Your Career: A Guide for Young Women Professionals in STEM
Building a successful career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) requires planning and active navigation. While these fields offer endless growth opportunities, they also present unique hurdles for young professionals. To thrive and build a meaningful career, it's crucial to take charge of your career path, develop a clear plan, and continuously seek feedback.
Why Taking Charge of Your Career Matters
In a rapidly evolving industry like STEM, it's essential to be proactive. Taking charge of your career means actively shaping your professional journey rather than passively waiting for opportunities to come your way. It's about making informed decisions, setting goals, and seizing opportunities that align with your personal values and professional aspirations. A few of the benefits derived from taking charge of your career include:
Increased Confidence: When you actively drive your own career development, the progress you make feels more intentional – because it is. This can significantly boost your confidence and sense of empowerment.
Greater Clarity: Driving your career will require you to begin clarifying your professional goals and identifying the skills or experiences you need to achieve them.
Better Opportunities: Having clarity about the skills and experiences you want to have will enable you to proactively identify and capitalize on opportunities, allowing you to grow faster and more strategically.
How to Take Charge of Your Career
The best way to start to take charge of your career is by reflecting on what excites you. What kind of problems do you love solving? What roles or fields within STEM resonate with your passions? Define your ideal career, even if it seems a bit ambitious. Keep in mind that your vision of your ideal career will change over time. That's okay. What's important is that you capture the things that are important to you now and remain open to making adjustments whenever it feels right to do so.
Perform a self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest about where you excel and where you need to improve. This will guide your next steps and make your efforts more targeted.
Be visible and seek out mentors. Make sure your work is recognized by sharing your achievements with colleagues and leaders, both in-person and online. Get comfortable with "tooting our own horn". It's possible to do this without coming off braggy. You can start by sharing the impact of projects you've worked on or by focusing on interesting things you've learned from your work.
When seeking mentors, be intentional about connecting with individuals whose work you admire or whose experiences you'd like to emulate. Ask for guidance, feedback, and support from role models within your organization and others in your field.
What Is a Career Plan and Why Is It Important?
A career plan is a strategic roadmap that outlines your career goals and the steps needed to achieve them. It's a detailed framework that guides your career progression, offering a clear direction and helping you stay focused on your aspirations.
A career plan allows you to set both short-term and long-term goals, making it easier to track progress and celebrate achievements. It can help you make informed decisions about job opportunities, skill development, and other career-related choices. With a plan in place, you'll be better equipped to adapt to unexpected changes or opportunities because you have a clear understanding of your ultimate goals.
How to Make a Career Plan
To make a career plan, start by identifying your long-term goals. Think about where you want to be in 5 or 10 years. Do you envision yourself as a project manager, a leading researcher, a startup founder, or an industry expert? Use the SMART goals format—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—to provide structure and clarity. You can find a detailed example of SMART goals with some specific examples here.
Review and adjust your goals regularly. Your career plan should be a living document. As you gain more experience, your goals and interests may change. Set aside time quarterly to review your plan, celebrate what you've accomplished, and make adjustments to your goals if needed.
Conclusion: Be the Driver of Your Career
Taking charge of your career requires clarity, commitment, and a proactive approach. By setting a career vision and creating a career plan, you equip yourself with the tools to build a successful career in STEM. Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. Taking charge of your career is a process. The more proactive you are, the better positioned you'll be to navigate challenges and seize opportunities along the way.
Stay curious, stay confident, and take charge of your future—you have the power to shape your own path in STEM!